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it. 6. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

Deut. vii. 6. Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Deut. ix. 5. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deut. xxviii. 10. And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

Deut. xxx. 15. See, I have set before thee this day life and good and death and evil; 16. In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, that thou mayst live and multiply; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18. I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

34th Q.-Did this comprise the whole of the divine revelation delivered to the Israelites?

A.-No, Moses also committed to writing an account of the origin of the world, the creation and fall of man, and a summary history of the world to his own time; comprising an instructive description of God's dealings with mankind, both before the flood, and afterwards, during the patriarchal age; and this history, with the law subjoined to it, is considered as the first written revelation of God to man.

SECTION III.

35th Q.-Is the law of Moses of universal and perpetual obligation?

A.-The law of Moses was adapted to the state of the Israelites as a nation or political body; it therefore admits of a threefold consideration, 1st. As political; 2ndly. As ceremonial; 3dly. As moral. The last of these only, is of universal and perpetual obligation.

36th Q.-What part of the Law was political?

A.-That which related to the internal government of the Israelites as a nation, and to their intercourse with other nations; the observance of it cannot therefore extend beyond the Israelites considered as a political body.

37th Q.-What part of the Law was ceremonial?

A.-That which related to their public worship, and was designed to prepare their minds for the reception of the Messiah; of whose mediatorial work and office, all the washings, purifications, and sacrifices enjoined by it, were typical or figurative: it is consequently fulfilled and superseded by the coming of Christ the Antitype.

See the Proofs to the next Answer.

38th Q. How did the ceremonial law point to Christ?

A. One or two instances will suffice to illustrate its allusion to Christ: The scape goat, upon whose head, "all the iniquities of the children of Israel" were laid, and the continual sacrifices for sins, whether wilful or ignorant, to make atonement* for the sins of the people, clearly advert to Christ, upon whom was laid "the iniquity of us all;" and who, by the one sacrifice of himself, became an atonement or "propitiation for the sins of the whole world."

Heb. ix. 1. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all; 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6. Now when these

* Atonement signifies agreement and concord. In the Scriptures it is mostly, if not always, applied to the medium chosen by God to remove whatever obstructs the concord and union between himself and his creature man; and is therefore applied to the Jewish sacrifices, because they were types of Christ, who is the grand and special medium of reconciliation between God and man.

things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7. But into the second went the high priest alone, once every year, not without blood, which he offered for him. self, and for the errors of the people: S. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9. Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands; 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood; he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 19. When Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20. Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21. Moreover he sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb. x. 1. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year, continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. 4. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6. In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7. Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. 8. Above, when he said, Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings, and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (which are offered by the law;) 9. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10. By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb. xiii. 11. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest, for sin, are burned without the camp. 12. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

See also the 7th and 8th chapters of the Hebrews.

Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made. 21. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily, righteousness should have been by the law. 22. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24. Wherefore the law was our

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